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Archives for October 2015

I am completely and utterly a 90’s girl. Barbie dolls, Lip Smackers lip gloss, stick on earrings, scrunchies.. you name it, I probably loved it. I remember playing with Legos, Pogs, and collecting Beanie Babies (I really thought I’d be rich by now, with all of the Beanies I’ve collected. I’m definitely not.). Listening to Aqua, The Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys and NSync, and watching Power Rangers and Full House. I always had a Goosebumps book close by, and tons of taped episodes of the TV show, too.

While browsing Netflix on Saturday, I stumbled upon Free Willy, one of the movies I watched over and over again and owned on VHS (those are the giant black boxes with black tape inside of them, just incase you didn’t know). Right there, I knew my Saturday was set. A cozy blanket, a cup of tea, some comfy sweats and an old school movie on Netflix; obviously, this was to be followed up with more old school movies. Okay, whatever, I watched Free Willy 2, too.

#WinningTheSaturdayLevelInTheGameOfLife

Watching Free Willy made me relive my childhood days, and I started going through nostalgia from the 90’s. One thing led to another, and I stumbled upon Tiger Beat Magazine covers, and my celebrity crushes came flooding back. I guarantee that most of you ladies will agree with me, as I tally off my top 5 crushes from the 90’s, in no particular order.

1. JASON JAMES RICHTER
If any girl says they didn’t have a crush on Jesse from Free Willy, they’re lying. A) he’s adorable, B) he had that rebellious bad boy thing going for him at the beginning of the movie, and C) that scene at the end where he’s saying goodbye to his best friend? Absolutely heartbreaking. I’m fairly positive it’s between him and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, but one of the two were my first celebrity crush ever. Oh, and let’s not forget that this happened today:

2. JONATHAN TAYLOR THOMAS
I watched Home Improvement any time I could because of this dude. I’m also pretty sure I would record certain episodes because he was the main focus of the story line. We also have him to thank for movies like Man of the House, Tom and Huck, and The Adventure’s of Pinocchio. Plus, he was the voice of young Simba, and The Lion King is an epic Disney movie. But ladies, let’s be serious now, he is absolutely pinch-his-cheeks adorable. To this day, I still think he’s pretty smokin’ hot. Except obviously at his age now, not 12 year old JTT – that’d be creepy. JTT, where are you? Can we get married?

3. JONATHAN BRANDIS
The Neverending Story and IT were two movies I’d watch a countless amount of times because of Jonathan Brandis. Piercing baby blues, that mushroom cut hairstyle every boy was rocking at the time. I remember watching The Neverending Story almost on a constant loop at one point. As for IT, I’d constantly watch the first VHS (yeah, I had this one on VHS, too), because the second part is when they’re all grown up and it isn’t Jonathan Brandis anymore. Unfortunately, in 2003, he passed away at the age of 27.

4. OMRI KATZ
Hocus Pocus, anyone? Classic Halloween movie – hilarious, suitable for children, clever enough for adults, and the main male actor was very easy on the eyes. Omri Katz wasn’t in the entertainment industry for very long; Hocus Pocus, Dallas, and Eerie Indiana being his most recognizable works. I remember being super obsessed with him, though, and wishing he’d appear in more movies so I had more reasons to stare at him. Dark hair, dark eyes, brilliant smile; every 10 year old girls fantasy.

5. DEVON SAWA
4 words: Casper the Friendly Ghost. He was in the movie for like, what, 5 minutes? But even then, I’d rewatch that scene over and over again. Another favourite movie of mine that he’s in: Now And Then. Even when he’s being a total jerk to the girls, he’s still a total babe. He’s still a total babe now, too. But seriously, that baby face. He’s got that ‘bad boy’ look, but a ‘good guy’ smile. It’s super deceiving. And when you’re a 10 year old girl, those freckles are enough to make you lose your mind. Or, when you’re 25 and stuff like this happens:

That’s right, Casper himself, ladies and gentlemen. Be jealous. Be very jealous.

I love going through the 90’s and recognizing everything that’s coming back in style; the entire second season of FRIENDS is filled with fashion trends that are popular again now. I suppose history does repeat itself.

After writing this post, it’s clear that I had some sort of type when I was younger. Call it a blue-eyed, blonde haired craze. Regardless, I think 10-year-old me had some pretty decent taste in boys.

I’ve always been a fan of scarves, and boots, and sweaters; browns, greys, and deep, rich colours. And let’s not forget about layers!

As the weather gets colder, I find myself scrambling through all of my old sweaters and long sleeved shirts trying to find something that’s in style, that I still like, and something that I don’t look at and think “what in God’s name was I thinking when I bought this?”. I’m always disappointed with my collection, though. Does anyone else feel like they hate all of their clothes? Because I do. I really, really do. Now, I really enjoy clothing, makeup, accessories, and all that girly fashion stuff, but I sometimes can’t justify spending a good chunk of cash on something that won’t be in style for very long.

So, today, I changed that! I went on a little (while still in budget!) shopping spree; kind of a treat yo’self-day.

The most expensive item I bought was the poncho, but, it’s basically a blanket, a scarf, and a sweater all in one, so a $30 item just became three $10 items; winning! Both the poncho and the scarf are from Suzy Shier, the eyeliners are from ShoppersDrug Mart (but I’m sure they can be purchased at many drug stores), and the Paris tee is from Forever XXI. I also bought 2 pairs of jeans from Forever XXI, but you all know what jeans look like, so I didn’t photograph those.

Everything else I bought was on sale, and in total (for 7 items) I only spent around $125! That’s kind of amazing for how much I bought. Plus, these items will last me for the rest of the fall season, and probably into the spring, too. I’m hoping I’ll be able to keep these around for a while, and they won’t go out of style too soon.

Okay, I spent more than $125 considered I dropped another $35 at Bath and Body Works, but, you can’t put a price on those amazing candles and air fresheners.

But, what I’m really stoked for now, is having a reason to get all dolled up in my new clothes. :)

When I was rummaging through all of my clothes, I found a t-shirt that I loved, but it just didn’t fit right. I didn’t want to throw it away, so I decided to recycle it and turn it into a pillowcase! After getting a new bed and bed sheet set, I didn’t have enough throw pillows, but I did have one old, dingy pillow that desperately needed a facelift. Perfect!

I don’t have a sewing machine, and to be honest, I don’t really know how to sew. I’m sure I could figure it out, but I didn’t wanna risk it this time. After searching for ‘no-sew’ pillowcase methods, I couldn’t find one that I wanted to attempt, so I just did it myself.

Here’s how you can make your very own no-sew pillowcase out of an old t-shirt!

THINGS YOU NEED:

an old t-shirt

a pillow

ribbon

no-sew glue hem

a craft (or regular) iron

scissors

buttons

needle and thread (minimal sewing – just buttons onto ribbons!)

candle (okay, this is optional, but it makes the room smell great, so.. just do it!)

TOTAL CRAFTING TIME:

give or take, an hour, with tons of coffee breaks

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Here’s the old t-shirt, pillow, and supplies I used. There’s also some ribbon for the bows at the end, a few buttons, and a little craft iron. A normal iron will work just as well, but this little one is just so handy! Of course, a Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin candle from Bath and Body Works is a great addition to the mix (and will make your house smell amazing).

This is the hem glue that I used, and this stuff is great. I was a little skeptical at first, but I’m extremely happy with how the pillowcase turned out after using only this.

Cut a square that’s a little bit bigger than your pillow. You want to leave some room on the sides so that when it’s all hemmed and ready to go, your pillow case isn’t too small.

Take the back portion of fabric (the one without the writing on it) and cut it in half. You need to be able to get your pillow in the case, after all.

Fold over one edge of the fabric, and use the iron to glue it down, creating a nice, straight edge. I didn’t know exactly how I was going to finish my pillow, so I hemmed the edge incase I didn’t want to put any bows/close it completely. This is a step you can skip if you’re just going to close your pillow up in the end.

Once the edges of both back parts are hemmed down, assemble your fabric with the logo on the inside. Pay close attention and make sure that it’s lined up as close to the edge as possible.

Hem the sides down, but ensure that it’s cooled down before opening it up and checking that everything is holding together. Like I said, I was a little weary using this glue, but it worked like a charm. I had to go over a few parts a few times, but that was because the iron wasn’t hot enough, and I was afraid to leave it on for TOO long.

Make sure that your hem is as close to the edge as possible. I cut the strips in half, and then in half again to get a thinner strip of glue, and was super careful when applying the heat to it. Again, wait until it’s completely cooled down before checking that it’s staying together.

Once you have it all glued down, and it’s cooled, flip it inside out, and voila! A finished pillowcase! Slip your pillow in, and you’re all done! But… why stop there?

Cut three strips of ribbon, making sure they’re all the same length. I used black to match the writing on the front of the shirt, but you can use any colour you’d like to use.

Glue down (again with the no-sew glue hem [I love this stuff!]) the two ends to make a ribbon. I made three. Again, you can make as many as you want. Or none at all. Whatever.

Okay, so maybe I did sew a little, but only the button to the ribbon. Then I used the no-sew glue hem and glued the back of the pillowcase shut, and then proceeded to glue down the ribbon to somewhat hide the hem in the back.

And there it is!

I had so much fun making this pillowcase. Crafting usually mellows me out, and helps me keep my mind from working overtime. Today, I just needed to get back into my artistic roots, drink copious amounts of coffee, and relax on my day off.

If you have any other fun DIY projects you’d like to see me take on, I’m always up for a challenge.